alone in this big house that she and her siblings had bought when each of their spouses had passed away. The original siblings moved back together again in one house. And then, one by one, each of the siblings passed away, and she was the last of the siblings to be alive and was all alone in this big house. My mother asked me if I would be interested in going and staying with her on the weekends to help her feel safe, help her with whatever thing she needed done around the house, and to be company for her. When I would go over there she would tell me stories about her life growing up, and when she was married and raising children, and then how her life was when each of her siblings came to the house that she was in. I loved listening to her stories and getting to know the things that she had learned. It was so fascinating to me to learn from her and I just grew to love her so much. She was like having an extra grandma. At night I would help her get ready and help her into bed. I had a bedroom across the hall where I could watch TV and stay up until I was tired. Every night she would make me a scoop of ice cream in this pretty, tiny china bowl that she had, along with two cookies. The ice cream was always freezer-burned, and the cookies were always stale, but I ate them out of the love and respect that I had for her, because they sure did not taste good.
I had the odds against me to become a nurse. However, I set goals and trusted that God would provide a way for me. He did, and I became the first person in my family that actually went to college and graduated. That was a huge accomplishment for myself and it has been a blessing to me and my own family to be able to be a nurse. It has enabled me to take care of people who need to be listened to, and a nurse who really does care about them, and still does all these decades later. I love and enjoy being a nurse and I will continue to love caring for my patients. Being a nurse is ingrained in me; it is a part of my soul. I appreciate every day knowing I’m making a difference in at least one person’s life. I’m so grateful. Not many people can say they do what they love but I can definitely say that I am living the life that I love. Submitted by Marcy Smith, TX
30 ELITE LEARNING
Powered by FlippingBook